UNGA general debate concludes, Security Council passes resolution over Haiti

The general debate of the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) concluded on Monday at the UN Headquarters in New York, and the UN Security Council also passed a resolution over the turmoil in Haiti on the same day.

The last countries to address the assembly included Algeria, Mozambique, and Syria. Syrian Foreign Minister Bassam Sabbagh said Israeli authorities have chosen to drag the Middle East region into a serious escalation with the support from the United States.

"Israeli forces have scaled up their attacks on countries of the region, including my country Syria, targeting vital civilian facilities, residential buildings, and even diplomatic premises," he said.

Meanwhile, at the UN Security Council, a resolution was passed on Monday to extend the mandate of the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission to Haiti.

The United States and Ecuador had asked for a plan to elevate the security mission into a formal UN peacekeeping operation, but China said the environment in Haiti is not conducive to that, adding that the UN had sent multiple peacekeeping operations to Haiti in the past, but the results were not satisfactory.

"Peacekeeping operations are not a panacea, let alone a backup. What's more, Haiti does not have the conditions for the deployment of peacekeeping operations right now. Haiti has long been mired in multiple crises and if there's no legitimate, effective and accountable government, it is difficult for any external support to have a lasting effect," said Geng Shuang, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations.

Haiti's interim government says a peacekeeping mission is necessary, and that the current MSS mission has significant limitations, with lacking of financial support from member states being the major headache.

"Clearly, the mission still faces severe limitations under the current circumstances. The financial and material support that the MSS greatly needs remains insufficient. Moreover, there is no doubt that the mission must be strengthened to be fully operational, and in this context, the transformation of the MSS into a UN peacekeeping operation is not only necessary but also urgent," said Antonio Rodrigue, Haiti's permanent representative to the United Nations.

UNGA general debate concludes, Security Council passes resolution over Haiti

Amid widespread opposition, U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed two executive orders on the so-called "reciprocal tariffs," imposing a 10-percent "minimum baseline tariff" and higher rates on certain trading partners.

Trump announced these tariffs in a speech in the White House Rose Garden, during which he also said a 25-percent tariff on cars and car parts imported into the U.S. will take effect on Thursday.

Many trading partners of the U.S. have previously expressed their opposition, saying that they will take countermeasures in response.

On Wednesday, President of the European Council Antonio Costa said the European Union must react in a "firm but smart manner" to the reciprocal tariffs.

"This is truly a major economic mistake for the United States and also for Europe and the entire world," Costa said.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said the introduction of new U.S. tariffs would have heavy repercussions for Italian producers, adding that she did not rule out "adequate responses" to defend Italian products.

While stating that the UK is engaging in constructive talks to reach a broader economic prosperity deal with the U.S., British Prime Minister Keir Starmer also said that the country is prepared for all possible scenarios and will not rule out any possibilities

Trump imposes "reciprocal tariffs" amid widespread opposition